Description:
This ancient silver denarius coin was minted in Rome during the rule of Hadrian, who was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. The obverse features the head of Hadrian with the Latin legend HADRIANVS AVG COS III P P, translated to “Hadrianus Augustus, Consul 3, Father of the Fatherland.” The reverse of this coin depicts Tellus, the Roman goddess of the Earth, fertility and agriculture. She is standing while holding a plow and a rake with two grain ears shown to the right. The legend TELLVS STABIL translates to "Stable Earth" representing the "Golden Age" associated with Hadrian's rule, ensuring a strong, productive land.
Hadrian is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman territory in Britain. A significant portion of the wall still exists today and is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England. In Rome, he rebuilt the Pantheon and almost two thousand years later, its dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.
During his reign, Hadrian traveled to nearly every province of the Empire ordering the construction of libraries, aqueducts, baths and theaters. He spent extensive amounts of his time with the military; he usually wore military attire and even dined and slept amongst the soldiers. Hadrian was known as an intellectual and a patron of the arts. He is considered by many historians to have been a wise and just ruler, one of the finest of all Roman Emperors.
